9:00The TakeawayTMThe Takeaway is a national morning news program that invites listeners to be part of the American conversation. Hosts John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee, along with partners The New York Times, BBC World Service, WNYC, Public Radio International and WGBH Boston, deliver news and analysis and help you prepare for the day ahead.

Thanks to a cash infusion from the federal government, the City of Akron is hiring cops and firefighters for the first time in four years. Mayor Don Plusquellic says federal grants will allow the city to add 38 new firefighters and 40 more police officers

The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security have been handing out grant money to cash-strapped cities that need to hire first-responders. Plusquellic says he talked personally with the heads of the COPS and SAFER programs.

The city received $6.5m last year to retain 36 firefighters and it has applied for another grant this year. The COPS program, started under President Clinton, has awarded Akron $1.5m this year.

As many as 4 thousand applicants are expected to take the written tests this winter. Akron residents and veterans receive a 20 percent bonus on their grades.